The Ultimate Layering Starter Guide

Hello, Fragrant Friend 👋,

Did you know: Marie Antoinette’s love for perfume was so extravagant that she had a secret escape scent created to calm her nerves during the French Revolution.

🗓️ Contents of this Issue

1. Note Worthy: Layering, Unilever and Innovation Summit
2. Strictly Independent: Francesca Bianchi
3. Scent MythBusters: Only specific types of fragrances can be layered
4. Quiz: Fragrance profile variance
5. Material Spotlight: Ambrette

Note-Worthy 🔎🌸

#LAYERING: Fragrance layering is having a moment, with personalised scent wardrobes becoming the norm. Rooted in Middle Eastern oud-rich perfumery, the trend is spreading West — Jo Malone’s “Scent Pairing” even recommends combinations. Fragrance is shifting from accessory to identity.

#NEWENTRY: Could Unilever become conglomerate giant No. 11? With a €100 million investment to build its own fragrance house, the company blends scientific precision with artistic experience, hiring expert perfumers like Mathieu Lenoir.

#INNOVATIONSUMMIT: The Fragrance Innovation Summit revealed AI-powered greenhouses, upcycled vineyard alcohol, alcohol-free perfumes with moisturising benefits, and emotional-analytics tools like MANE’s Wellmotion.

Strictly Independent 🎨 ✨ — Francesca Bianchi

A self-taught perfumer inspired by contrasts — light and dark, innocence and seduction. With a background in art history and roots in Tuscany, she designs from her Amsterdam studio. Scents: 21 plus 7 perfumed oils.

Byzantine Amber. A smoky, resinous blend of labdanum, benzoin and amber, spiced with cinnamon and brightened by bergamot, over leather and incense.

Sticky Lips. Rose, powdery iris butter and warm leather with tobacco, cinnamon and patchouli, and a creamy tonka undertone.

The Dark Side. Resinous honey, smoky incense and velvety iris with rich spices, animalic styrax and the warmth of amber.

Tyger Tyger. Honeyed florals and ripe peaches with creamy sandalwood and leather, hints of tuberose and patchouli.

Scent MythBusters 🎭️

“Only specific types of fragrances can be layered.”
Myth of the week

TL;DR

Most fragrances can be combined to create a unique, personalised scent. The key is understanding intensities, notes and experimenting within compatible families. Versatile notes like vanilla, musk or citrus make layering approachable.

How to start

Apply scents in order of intensity — start with an intense base (oud or musk), layer lighter notes (rose, jasmine) on top, test on skin and adjust. Three beginner combos: a musky base + floral top (Not a Perfume + Jasmin 17); a warm orange base + bright bergamot (Orange Sanguine + Bergamote 22); and a woody base + warm floral (Super Cedar + Amyris Femme). Pro tip: apply unscented lotion first for longevity.

Material Spotlight: Ambrette 🟤

Ambrette seeds are the only botanical source of natural musk aroma — an ethical, sustainable alternative to animal-derived musks. Warm, musky and subtly fruity, derived from Abelmoschus moschatus (related to hibiscus). Its key compound, ambrettolide, is highly skin-compatible, so the scent varies subtly with the wearer. Notable: Guerlain Eau de Lingerie, Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazarena, Papillon Hera, Ázman Killer Vavoom.